WO2002034614A1

WO2002034614A1 - Vehicle with a footboard and a collapsible steering pole

Info

Publication number: WO2002034614A1
Application number: PCT/IB2000/001518
Authority: WO
Inventors: Markus Bürgi
Original assignee: Buergi Markus
Priority date: 2000-10-24
Filing date: 2000-10-24
Publication date: 2002-05-02
Also published as: AU2000276813A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a skateboard (1) comprising a footboard (2) and one stationary rear wheel (6a) and two steerable front wheels (6b), which can be steered by tilting the footboard (2) relative to the surface on which the skateboard travels. A steering pole (3) is provided on the front end of the skateboard (1), collapsible by means of a joint (4), and is mounted on the vehicle (1) so as to be lockable both in the collapsed and in the operational state. The joint (4) is adapted to be automatically locked when one of the two aforementioned positions is adjusted. All components required for the functioning of the joint, for locking and for releasing the mechanism are configured as one functional unit in the area of the joint (4). The front and lateral sections of said functional unit form a substantially closed outer contour with plane surfaces. The inventive design allows a substantial reduction of the risk of injuries in collisions with passengers vis-à-vis solutions known from the art.

Description

Vehicle with running board and foldable handrail

TECHNICAL AREA

The invention relates to a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.

STATE OF THE ART

Vehicles with a footboard for carrying a user are generally known from the prior art under the terms "kick scooter" and "roller board" or "skateboard". While scooters have always had a handlebar in the form of a handlebar with a vertical steering column In the case of roller boards, designs which have a vertical handrail for the user have only recently become established.With the growing need of broad sections of the population for unlimited and combinable mobility, designs with removable or foldable handrails have been on the market in recent years which can be folded up for transport, for example in public transport As such vehicles were originally designed as toys, but are now used in city traffic as means of transport, the safety-related design of the current V use is not fair, so that there is always injury to people due to poorly designed vehicle elements.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The object is therefore to provide a vehicle which at least partially avoids the disadvantages of the prior art. This object is achieved by the vehicle according to claim 1.

Accordingly, the vehicle has a running board, wheels that support the running board, and a handrail that the user standing on the running board can grip. The handrail is fastened to the rest of the vehicle with a hinge, which enables the handrail to be folded down from the operating position, ie from the position which the handrail has when the vehicle is used as intended, into a non-operating position and vice versa. The joint is located at the end of the support rod that is closest to the running board in the operating position. When the vehicle is not in use, for example for transport or storage, the handrail can be positioned in the non-operating position by folding it down with the joint, so that the vehicle requires little space and at the same time the handrail remains captively attached to the vehicle. Locking means are arranged in or on the joint, for example latching elements or clamping elements, with which the joint can be locked at least in the operating position. In such a state, the joint, together with the locking means arranged in the joint area, forms a compact functional unit, the front and sides of which, viewed in the intended direction of travel, form an essentially closed outer contour with smooth surfaces. As a result, the risk of injury in the event of a collision of the vehicle with people and / or objects can be significantly reduced and at the same time the risk of damage to the vehicle itself can be reduced. "Functional unit" means that the joint and the locking means share certain components in order to perform their tasks, or in other words that when the components required for the joint are removed, at least one part is missing that is required for the locking essentially closed outer contour with smooth Surfaces "is the outer contour of a body, the outer surface of which has essentially no abrupt steps or sharp-edged projections or edges. Recesses or depressions, such as bores and gaps between molded bodies, with a small extension in relation to the total surface of the outer contour, are permitted. Both “straight or curved rod-shaped elements” and “T-shaped or L-shaped arrangements of rod-shaped elements” are regarded as “holding rods”. In a preferred embodiment of the vehicle, the handrail is arranged in the region of one of the ends of the footboard, inside or outside it, and is advantageously arranged on the front end of the footboard, as viewed in the intended direction of travel. In this way, gripping the handrail by the user is particularly easy. With such an arrangement, the front part of the closed outer contour of the functional unit also points outward in the direction of travel, which results in increased personal protection.

The locking means are preferably designed to lock the holding rod both in the .operating position and in the non-operating position, as a result of which the holding rod can be used as a carrying handle during transport.

If the outer contour formed by the front and the sides of the functional unit is essentially convex, this favors a shape that is as rounded and therefore harmless as possible, it being preferred if the outer contour has an essentially cylindrical, frustoconical or barrel-shaped shape. This results in both manufacturing technology and design advantages.

In another preferred embodiment, the functional unit formed by the joint and by the locking means additionally has actuating elements for initiating and / or releasing the respective locking, which are advantageously integrated into the functional unit in such a way that they form a partial surface of the closed outer contour formed by the front and the side parts of the functional unit, for example in such a way that a specific surface part is designed as a push button. Alternatively, it is also preferred that the actuating means form essentially the entire outer surface of the outer contour of the functional unit, which is the case, for example, when the outer contour is essentially formed by a sleeve which is used to release and / or initiate a locking can be moved or rotated. This results in a functional unit which combines all mechanical elements and operating elements which are essential for the articulation movement and the locking or initiation / release of the locking.

Advantageously, the actuators are designed in such a way that they act by pressure, preferably in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the support rod and / or perpendicular to the intended direction of travel, by rotation, preferably around the longitudinal axis of the support rod, by thrust, advantageously along the Longitudinal axis of the support rod around, or can be actuated by a combination of these, making it a simple

Handling results and the risk of unintentional release of the locking device is extremely low.

In a further preferred embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention, the locking means are designed in such a way that when the operating position and / or the non-operating position is set, locking takes place automatically from the other position or from an intermediate position, with spring means, e.g. Coil springs, leaf springs or rubber elements are used, which the

Locking means regardless of the position of the vehicle with respect to gravity in a locking position hold. Such a configuration increases comfort and enables the use of simple actuation means.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the hinge has stop means, e.g. Stop shoulders, which are formed separately from the locking means and in the operating position and / or in the non-operating position limit movement of the joint in at least one direction of movement thereof. If the stop means are designed in such a way that they form the boundary in the main direction of force of the respective position, the locking means become significantly less and moreover not loaded in all directions permitted by the joint and can therefore be dimensioned weaker.

The joint used is advantageously a swivel joint, the axis of rotation of which is preferably arranged transversely to the intended direction of travel of the vehicle, which automatically results in a small space requirement for the vehicle when the holding rod is folded down into the non-operating position.

If the swivel joint is designed in such a way that it consists of two main elements that can move with respect to one another and are connected to one another via the axis of rotation, and the main element on the handlebar side is designed on its side facing away from the handlebar as a fork with at least two prongs for receiving one or more tines of the other main element between them , with the two outermost tines preferably forming part of the outer contour of the functional unit with their outer sides, this results in a particularly stable joint which additionally gives the possibility of arranging any actuating elements in the outer region of the two outer tines of the main element on the handlebar side. This is particularly advantageous because the pivot point of the joint is so for reasons of compactness of the vehicle in the non-operating state should be as close as possible to the vehicle and thus an arrangement of any space-consuming actuating elements on the vehicle-side main element, as is often the case in the prior art, is disadvantageous. In yet another preferred embodiment, the joint has a swivel angle of at most 100 °, preferably of at most 90 ° and even more preferably of at most 85 °, the locking means advantageously being designed in such a way that the joint can be locked in exactly two positions is possible.

In this way, operating errors and improper use are largely avoided.

If the vehicle can be steered by inclining the running board with respect to a surface on which the wheels of the vehicle stand, the joint is preferably rigidly fastened to the running board with respect to the running board. The holding rod also preferably has a hand knob on its end facing away from the joint, which can be gripped by a user standing on the running board when the vehicle is being used as intended. In this way, the user can use the holding rod to bring about a certain inclination of the running board in a simple and controlled manner and thus steer the vehicle. If the vehicle has one or more steerable wheels independent of the inclination of the running board, it is preferred if the joint is rotatably fastened to the running board relative to the running board and is connected to the steerable wheels of the vehicle in such a way that the vehicle is steered by turning the joint opposite to the running board, it being preferred if the joint in the operating position of the holding rod is arranged rotatably about the longitudinal axis of the holding rod on the vehicle and the holding rod at its end facing away from the running board has a handlebar arranged essentially transversely to its longitudinal axis which, when the vehicle is used as intended, by a standing on the running board can be grasped.

In a last preferred embodiment the vehicle is a motorless vehicle, i.e. it has no external drive but is intended to be set in motion with human muscle strength or, on an inclined plane, by gravity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further refinements, advantages and applications of the invention result from the dependent claims and from the description that follows with reference to the figures. Show:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle according to the invention with the holding rod positioned in the operating position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle of Figure 1 with the support bar positioned in the inoperative position; 3 shows a vertical section through the axis of rotation of the joint from FIG. 1 in the operating position according to FIG. 1;

4 shows a vertical section in the intended direction of travel through an alternative joint in the operating position.

WAYS OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention in a perspective view. As can be seen, the motorless vehicle 1 has a running board 2 and a holding rod 3, which at its end closest to the running board 2 has a joint 4 in the region of the front end of the running board 3 on the vehicle, as viewed in the intended direction of travel F. is attached. In this illustration, the holding rod 3 is in the operating position provided for the intended use and has a hand knob 5 at its end facing away from the joint 4. The vehicle 1 has three wheels 6a, 6b which carry the running board 3, one of which is designed as an unguided rear wheel 6a and the other two are designed as front wheels 6b which can be steered by inclining the running board 3 relative to the standing surface of the vehicle.

As can be seen from FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG. 2, which shows a perspective illustration of the vehicle 1 from FIG. 1 with the holding rod 3 arranged in the non-operating position, the joint 4 is a swivel joint with a swivel angle of 90 °, which consists of two main elements 8a, 8b, which are rotatably connected to one another via an axis of rotation 7 oriented transversely to the intended direction of travel F. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 2, the main element 8a on the handrail side forms a fork on its side facing away from the handrail 3 with two prongs which hold a corresponding prong of the other main element 8b between them. As can also be seen, the joint 4 has in its main element 8a on the side of the support rod an actuating element designed as a pushbutton 9 for locking means arranged inside the joint 4, which enable the joint 4 to be locked both in the operating position and in the non-operating position.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, which represents a vertical section through the axis of rotation of the joint 4 in the operating position according to FIG. 1, the pushbutton 9 is connected to a slide bolt 10 which is guided in the main element 8a on the rod side and which is pretensioned by a spiral spring 11 in a corresponding recess 12 engages in the main element 8b on the tool side, thereby locking the joint 4. Slide latch 10 and recess 12 thus form the locking means which, in the case shown, lock the joint 4 in the operating position. Because of The pushbutton 9, the slide lock 10 and the axis of rotation 7 are shown uncut here for better understanding. It cannot be seen in the figures that the vehicle-side main element 8b has a second recess 12 which is arranged on the latter in such a way that the slide latch 10 engages in the non-operating position and thus also a locking in the non-operating position is possible , Characterized in that the sliding bolt 10 is biased by the coil spring 11, when the operating or non-operating position is set, the sliding bolt 10 automatically snaps into the respective recess 12, and thus the respective position is automatically locked. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3, the joint with the locking means and the actuating members forms a functional unit in the region of the joint using certain components. As can be seen from FIG. 1, in the operating position and in the intended direction of travel F, at least the front and the sides of this functional unit form an essentially closed, cylindrical outer contour with smooth surfaces. There are therefore no sharp edges or protruding elements in these areas, which represent a source of danger for people or objects when the vehicle 1 is moving in the direction of travel F. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the vehicle-side main element 8b has additional stop lugs 13, which limit the angle of rotation of the joint 4 by the fact that in the operating position as well as in the non-operating position, corresponding stop surfaces of the main-element 8a on the handlebar side strike it , Since both the stop lugs 13 and the associated stop surfaces of the support rod side main element 8a are formed independently of the locking means and in the operating position limit the movement of the support rod 3 in the forward direction, which is the main direction of force in this position, the slide latch 10 and the recess 12 are not loaded in this direction and can be dimensioned weaker be than without such a sling.

FIG. 4 shows a vertical section in the intended direction of travel F through a joint 4 of an alternative construction of a vehicle according to the invention. As can be seen from the illustration, it is also a swivel joint with two main elements 8a, 8b, which are rotatably connected to one another via an axis 7. The main element 8a on the handrail side consists of a stepped cylinder, which has a slot at its end facing away from the handrail 3, in which the vehicle-side main element 8b (not shown in section), which is essentially a vertical plate and extends in the direction of travel F, is arranged. To that of

The end of the main rod 8a on the rod side facing away from the holding rod 3 is arranged a sliding sleeve 14 which can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the holding rod 3 against the force of a spiral spring 11 and is guided by the main element 8a on the rod side. Firmly connected to the sliding sleeve 14 is a locking bolt 15, which passes through an elongated hole 16 extending transversely to the slot receiving the vehicle-side main element 8b and in the longitudinal direction of the holding rod 3, and is displaced by moving the sliding sleeve 14 with the latter , In the illustrated locked operating position, the locking pin 15 engages in a recess 17 in the vehicle-side main element 8b, where it is spring-biased by the spiral spring 11

Is held independent of gravity. As can be seen, the vehicle-side main element 8b has one second recess 17, into which the bolt 15 can engage when setting the non-operating position and can thereby lock this position. Due to the present configuration of the locking means formed by the locking bolt 15 and the recesses 17, the respective position is automatically locked when the operating or non-operating position is set. The locking is released by pushing the sliding sleeve 14 as an actuating element against the spring force of the spiral spring 13 in the direction of the holding rod 3 and thereby leading the locking bolt out of the respective recess 17. Since the sliding sleeve 14 extends in the locked state in the longitudinal direction up to the cylindrically shaped fastening flange 19 of the vehicle-side main element 8b and its cylindrical outer contour is only broken through by passage slots for the plate-shaped part of the vehicle-side main element 8b, this essentially filling the front-side slot ends with its outer edges, there is also a functional unit consisting of a joint, locking means and actuating member, which has an essentially closed outer contour with smooth surfaces in the area of the front and the sides.

As can further be seen from the illustration, the vehicle-side main element 8b also has a stop shoulder 18 for striking a surface of the main-element 8a on the handlebar side, as a result of which, in this embodiment too, the rotary movement of the articulation 4 is limited by stop means designed independently of the locking means in FIG Operating position and in the main direction of force is achieved. While preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the present application, it should be clearly pointed out that the invention is not restricted to these and in other ways within within the scope of the following claims. In particular, it should be pointed out that the number of wheels of the vehicle is arbitrary and, for example, vehicles with one front and one rear wheel or with two front and two rear wheels are also provided.

Claims

1. Vehicle with wheels (6a, 6b), with a footboard (2) for carrying a user and with a handrail (3) for the user, which is attached to the vehicle (1) with a joint (4) to enable positioning The same in an operating position for the intended use of the vehicle (1) and in a non-operating position to reduce the space requirement of the vehicle (1) when not in use, and wherein the joint (4) is arranged at the end of the support rod (3), which in the operating position is closest to the running board (2) and wherein locking means (10, 12, 15, 17) are arranged in or on the joint (4) for locking the joint (4) at least in the operating position, characterized in that in the In the locked operating position, the joint (4) and the locking means (10, 12, 15, 17) form a functional unit in the region of the joint (4), at least the front of which, viewed in the intended direction of travel (F) The rear side and its sides form an essentially closed outer contour with smooth surfaces.

2. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding rod (3) in the area of one of the

Is arranged ends of the footboard (2), and in particular that it is arranged in the intended direction of travel (F) in the region of the front end of the footboard (2).

3. Vehicle according to one of the preceding

Claims, characterized in that the locking means (10, 12, 15, 17) are designed to lock the holding rod (3) in the operating position and in the non-operating position.

4. Vehicle according to one of the preceding

Claims, characterized in that that formed by the front and sides of the functional unit The outer contour is essentially convex, and in particular that it is essentially cylindrical, frustoconical or barrel-shaped.

5. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the functional unit has actuating members (9, 11, 14) for initiating and / or releasing the locking mechanism, and in particular that the actuating members (9, 11, 14) have a partial area of form the outer contour formed on the front and the side parts of the functional unit or essentially the entire outer surface of the outer contour of the functional unit.

6. Vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that the actuating members (9, 11, 14) can be actuated by pressure, in particular in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the holding rod (3) and / or perpendicular to the intended direction of travel (F) and / or can be actuated by rotating action, in particular around the longitudinal axis of the holding rod (3), and / or can be actuated by the action of thrust, in particular in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the holding rod (3).

7. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking means (10, 12, 15, 17) are designed to automatically lock the joint (4) when adjusting the

Operating position and / or the non-operating position, and in particular that spring means (11) are present which hold the locking means (10, 12, 15, 17) in a locking position regardless of the position of the vehicle (1).

8. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint (4) comprises stop means (13, 18) which are formed separately from the locking means (10, 12, 15, 17) and in the operating position and / or in limit the movement of the joint (4) in at least one direction of movement of the non-operating position.

9. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint (4) is a swivel joint, and in particular that the axis of rotation (7) of the swivel joint is oriented transversely to the intended direction of travel (F) of the vehicle.

10. Vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that the joint (4) consists of two main elements (8a, 8b) which are movable relative to one another and connected to one another via the axis of rotation (7), the main element (8a) on the support rod side on its support rod (3) opposite side forms a fork with at least two tines for receiving one or more tines of the other main element (8b) between them, and in particular that the two outermost tines with their outer sides form part of the outer contour of the functional unit.

11. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint (4) has a swivel angle of at most 100 °, in particular of at most 90 °, and in particular of at most 85 °, and in particular that the locking means (10, 12, 15, 17) are designed to lock the joint (4) in exactly two positions.

12. Vehicle according to one of the preceding

Claims, characterized in that the vehicle (1) can be steered by inclining the running board (2) and the joint (4) rigidly with respect to the running board (2) on the vehicle

(1) is fastened, and in particular that the holding rod (3) has at its end facing away from the joint (4) a hand knob (5) which, when the vehicle (1) is used as intended, by one on the footboard

(2) standing users can be seized.

13. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle (1) has one or more wheels (6a, 6b) which can be steered independently of the footboard inclination and the joint (4) is rotatably attached to the vehicle (1) with respect to the running board (2) and is connected to the steerable wheels (6b) of the vehicle (1) in such a way that the vehicle (1) is steered by rotating the joint (4) relative to the running board ( 2) is possible.

14. Vehicle according to claim 13, characterized in that the joint (4) in the operating position of the support rod (3) is arranged rotatably about the longitudinal axis of the support rod (3) on the vehicle (1) and the support rod (3) on the footboard (2) opposite end has a substantially qμer to its longitudinal axis arranged handlebar, which can be gripped by a user standing on the footboard (2) for the intended use of the vehicle (1) for steering the vehicle.

15. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle is a motorless vehicle (1) which is provided for driving by human muscle power and / or by gravity.